That could be done with a destination-locked mobile phone which only makes phone calls. Program a set of destinations (home house line, parents' mobiles, possibly the school reception -- note that the emergency 999/112 can't be blocked) into fast-dial keys and lock off everything else. That would still give the security without having all of the expensive bells and whistles and it being a distraction (it coudn't be used to send text messages to other kids in class, for instance, or to photograph other kids in compromising situations). That way it would also make it less of a target, because it would be useless for anyone else.
It isn't just kids, though. I've been apalled at the number of adults who are terrified about being out of touch for even a few hours these days. I've worked in places where mobile phones are not allowed (when the place is dealing with radio calibration etc. you don't get to operate your own radio transmitter!), and the complaints from some of the staff were horrendous. "I need to be callable by my wife!" Why, was she pregnant or ill or something? Not at all, they were just used to calling each other a dozen times every day during work hours! It wasn't as though there weren't other methods of getting in contact, every desk had a phone and in any emergency there would have been no problem calling the switchboard and getting put through.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2008-09-16 11:48 am (UTC)It isn't just kids, though. I've been apalled at the number of adults who are terrified about being out of touch for even a few hours these days. I've worked in places where mobile phones are not allowed (when the place is dealing with radio calibration etc. you don't get to operate your own radio transmitter!), and the complaints from some of the staff were horrendous. "I need to be callable by my wife!" Why, was she pregnant or ill or something? Not at all, they were just used to calling each other a dozen times every day during work hours! It wasn't as though there weren't other methods of getting in contact, every desk had a phone and in any emergency there would have been no problem calling the switchboard and getting put through.